Shivering
by DarkHououmon
Summary: Another ChalkZone story. Penny becomes ill, and Rudy struggles with the fact that he may have lost the chance to tell her how he feels about her....A RudyPenny story.


DISCLAIMER: I don't own ChalkZone. ^^; It's owned by Nickelodeon. You're not going to believe this, but I got the idea of this story while shivering myself due to the cold while eating chicken stuffed with broccoli. Oo; Heh....weird eh? ^_^ Anyway, this is, yes, another Rudy/Penny pairing. I just LOVE pairing those two together. They make a cute couple, don't you think? Anyway, here's the story. Enjoy!   
  
  


SHIVERS   
Story by DarkHououmon   
  
  
  


_'It's so cold!' _A small black girl was curled up in her bed shivering. Her glasses were off, on the counter next to the bed. Her dark brown air lay limp across the pillow. Sweat poured from her face, soaking her pillow. Her entire body was wracked with spasms. The girl was Penny, and she looked ill. Her face was a few shades lighter than normal. Next to her was a boy, about her age. He was white with tan hair and green eyes. Rudy had a worried expression on his face as he held Penny's hand tightly. She had come down with a bad case of the cold. He closed his eyes tightly, tears rolling down his face. He was upset that he hadn't done anything to stop her....but worst of all, she had known the whole time she was sick, but she forced herself to come with Rudy to ChalkZone. 

_'Why...Penny? Why didn't you stay home?' _Rudy felt anger rise within himself. No, he wasn't angry at Penny. He was angry at himself. She was the one who was ill...why hadn't he noticed? 

The boy continued to watch the girl groan in pain. Due to not resting, her flu had progressed and worsened. She might survive, but she would be terribly ill for quite some time. He wanted to hold her, hug her, but that would only provoke a coughing fit. She was breathing with her mouth wide open, taking in deep raspy breaths. As Rudy watched her suffer, he reflected on what had happened only hours earlier......   


FLASHBACK:   


"Hey Penny!" Rudy came to greet his female friend when they were alone in the classroom. They had agreed on going into ChalkZone once the coast was clear. Snap wanted to take them to a new park they had recently gotten. It was a forest park, with swings and slides. Rudy would normally expect Penny to greet him back, but the only response he got this time was a groan. "Penny?" He saw her almost bent over, looking like she was holding her stomach. He rushed to her side, and place a hand on her back. "You alright?" The girl flinched in pain, though Rudy did not see, then turned and looked at him. Her eyes looked tired and almost red, but she smiled, nodding her head. He cocked his head to the side a bit, and asked her if she wanted to go to ChalkZone today. 

**_Oh, the perfect love_****__**

**_Happiness comes when most unexpected_**   
**_When nothing and no one seems true_**   
**_So many promises broken_**   
**_But I feel certain of you_**   
**_Certain as night and day_**   
**_You keep my ambitions alive_**   
**_Though you don't have to stay_**   
**_If you go I can never survive_**

"But of course, Rudy! What makes you think I wouldn't?" She asked, full of curiosity. 

"It's just that....you looked like you were in pain..." "Oh....I...uhh...am still sore from gym class today. Boy...were those work-outs tough!" Rudy narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Shaking his head, he said, "But you don't take gym...." Surprised, he looked around to find the girl. She had disappeared. He finally located her. She was next to the chalk board. He had already opened up an entrance to ChalkZone, so all she had to do was hop through. Fortunately for her, this time they were near the ground. "...class."_ 'Penny seems to be acting strangely today....oh well, must be my imagination.' _He shrugged, and went through the portal with her. Jumping through the portal, he found her standing in front of a sign._ 'Is it just me or doesn't she look paler?' _He thought. He walked up to her. 

He looked at the sign she had seen. It read "ChalkZone Park". They had arrived! Or at least...they think they had arrived. Inside, a number of ChalkZone people were having a great time with parties, barbecues, cookouts, or just playing. Rudy recognized one of them. There was no mistaking that short butcher. "Chalk Dad!" He yelled a welcome greeting. The man with the broom lowered it and waved a hello. "Why hello there Rudy! What brings you here?" Penny started to groan, but no one heard her. She didn't want anyone to hear her. _'I don't want Rudy to find out I'm sick...if he does he'll just take me home, and I don't want to miss going to this park!' _"Have you seen Snap? He said to us to meet him here." Chalk Dad thought about this for a moment, then shook his head. 

**_The perfect love_**   
**_Will probably never exist_**   
**_But you are as close as it gets and I won't resist_**   
**_The perfect love_**   
**_Has never proven to be_**   
**_But you are as close as it gets when you're close to me_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_Oh, the perfect love_**

Before Rudy or Penny could react, a friendly voice from behind startled them. When they turned around, they saw Snap, standing there looking innocent. "Sorry I scared you guys." _'Sorry huh?' _Rudy thought. _'My heart's beating a million miles an hour....' _He asked where Snap was. "Oh, I was just over there playing Penguin Toss!" Penny grimaced, imagening people picking up penguins and using them as darts. Snap kinda got the idea of what she was thinking, and waved his hands in front of him in defense. "Don't worry, Penny. They just throw rings around the penguins." Penny sighed with relief, but grimaced again in pain. She shook a little, then settled it aside. She was very good at this, but she didn't know how long she could pull it off.... 

Hours passed by. Rudy and Snap gone off to have some fun with the Penguin Toss. Snap wasn't that good at it. He missed 6 times out of 10. But Rudy was a natural! He was able to get all 10 in one turn. He smiled happily while his drawing looked like he was about to blow a fuse. 

Picking up an ice cream cone, Snap listened to Rudy as he told her about Penny's behavior earlier. He scratched his head in confusion. "Do you have any idea why she's acting like that, Snap?" "I don't know, bucko. Maybe she's hiding something." He took another bite from the cone, his face becoming smeared with the chocolate ice cream. Rudy and Snap sat down on a park bench. The boy kneeled forward, putting his elbows on his thighs and his hands on the sides of his face. He looked very worried. This wasn't like Penny. She had gone off somewhere alone. _'Why did she want to go alone?' _She said she wanted to use the bathroom, but that doesn't mean Snap and he couldn't wait outside near the entrance for her to come out. _'Something's wrong...I know it!' _Growling mildy, he shot straight up. "Hey Rudy? Where you going?" "I'm going to find Penny!" Snap cocked his head. _'I know Rudy is protective of her...but it also seems like he...loves her.' _Rudy was about to walk off when Rapsheeba dashed onto the scene. 

This instant Rudy knew something had happened. Normally, Rapsheeba would be out dancing somewhere, and if she did come by she was either singing or in a happy mood. This time, a terrified look was on her face. She stopped in front of Rudy and Snap, panting hard. The blue drawing gasped, "Queen?! What's wrong?" "What happened?" Rudy asked, panic clear in his voice. "Guys! Something is seriously wrong with Penny!" Gasping for breath, she pointed in the direction of the bathrooms. Rudy took in a breath of shock. There, about 30 ft in front of the girls' bathroom was Penny. She was flinching in pain. Her teeth were bared as she tried to cope with the intense abdominal pain. She was holding her stomach tightly and hunched over, as if she was going to throw up. Heart racing. he ran over to the girl's side. "Penny! What's wrong?" 

**_Out on our own in a furious world_**   
**_We chase any dream, any star_**   
**_Nothing can harm us, we are immortal_**   
**_Innocent fools that we are_**   
**_Sometimes our confidence dies_**   
**_But I won't mind at all_**   
**_I see my dreams coming true in your eyes_**

The girl looked at Rudy through pained eyes. "R-Rudy....I'm....c-cold...." Then her eyes closed. Penny rocked back and forth, and then finally collapsed right into Rudy's arms. Blushing, he began to call out her name. "Penny? PENNY!" But she didn't respond.... 

END FLASHBACK:   


_'Oh...Penny....why didn't you just stay home?' _Rudy thought to himself, tears rolling down his face. His own body was wracked with spasms....but they were results of sobs. "Penny...please, don't die....I-I never got to tell you that.....I....I....." He lowered his head down, pressing his forehead against the side of the bed. "...I love you...." He closed his eyes, streams of tears flowing down his face. He then felt slight movement in his hand. Lifting up his head, he noticed Penny's body twitching a little, and her eyelids moving slightly. Cracking them open a few milimeters, he could tell that her eyes were darker than usual. It usually meant she was near death, but in this case, it was because of the illness. 

"Penny!" He clutched her hand tighter, and stood up, moving in closer to her. "Penny, you're alright...aren't you?" The girl groaned in pain. Clenching her teeth, she managed to open up her eyes all the way. Her dark brown eyes made their way to look at Rudy's face, full of worry and concern. She smiled weakly, and coughed, "Yes...I am...." She coughed harshly a few times. Rudy panicked, but relaxed when the coughing subsided. Rudy sat on the bed next to her. He asked her calmly and worriedly why she had gone to school if she had been ill. She winced a little, not sure of what to say._ 'Should I tell him?' _She looked at his face closer, seeing the determination and hurt in his eyes. She could tell he was very upset. _'Why not?' _"It's....b-because I-I-I didn't want to-o m-m-miss the..." She starts coughing again, this time blood seemed to be forming around her mouth. _'Blood?' _The boy paled at the sight, got out a tissue, and gently wiped the blood off of her. "Th-thanks...I just didn't want y-you to worry...." She whispered hoarsly. More tears formed in the back of Rudy's green eyes, but he dare not shed them. 

"P-Penny...if you didn't feel well...you should've...." 

**_The perfect love_**   
**_Will probably never exist_**   
**_But you are as close as it gets and I won't resist_**   
**_The perfect love_**   
**_Has never proven to be_**   
**_But you are as close as it gets when you're close to me_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_The perfect love_**

"Y-Yes, I know. I know it was s-s-stupid of me to go to ChalkZ-zone....I'm s-sorry I didn't tell y-you before.." She was silenced by Rudy, who put his finger on her lips lightly. "Shhhh....I don't think you should be talking now." Penny looked deeply into his eyes, and saw not only pain and anger....but love, too._ 'Love? Rudy...loves me? Maybe I should....' _"R-Rudy...I want to sh-show you something..." She coughed several times, then looked at Rudy, who stared at her in slight shock. He didn't know what she would have to show him. Leaning a bit closer, he asked, "What is it, Penny?" "C-come closer..." _'Why would she want me to do that?' _He wondered. Shrugging mentally, he leaned closer. They were so close that their noses almost touched. Without warning, Penny weakly threw her arms around him, pulling him closer. She then pressed her lips against his. 

Rudy's body jolted in shock. _'I-is this really happening?' _He thought, then his body relaxed. He started kissing back, gently wrapping his arms around her, careful not to startle up another coughing fit. After a few seconds, Penny finally parted away from Rudy, and looked at him in the eyes. Rudy stared at her. "Y-You love me?" 

The black girl smiled weakly. She nodded slowly, her hand on his own. "P-Penny...I..love you, too." Tears of happiness formed in his eyes, some of which started to flow down his cheek. Penny said, "I know....." They stared at eachother through loving eyes, but then Penny clutched her chest, clenched her teeth, and tightly shut her eyes. She suddenly began coughing more profusely then before. Traces of blood began to run out of her mouth, onto her clothes and the bed. "Penny! No!" Rudy grabbed her body and pulled her against himself. "Penny, please...don't die! Don't die!" He cried desperately. But the girl's coughing persisted, and soon the entire mouth area was coated in the red liquid known as blood. She looked at Rudy tiredly. "I-I'm sorry...Rudy....ugghhhhh...." Her eyes closed, and her body went limp. She toppled deeper into Rudy's arms. His green eyes widened in terror. "No....no.....PENNY!!!" He then gave into his emotions, burying his face into her dark hair, sobbing uncontrollably. 

**_The perfect love_**   
**_Will probably never exist_**   
**_But you are as close as it gets and I won't resist_**   
**_The perfect love_**   
**_Has never proven to be_**   
**_But you are as close as it gets when you're close to me_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**

_'Penny....no.....this can't be......'_

Rudy heard something in the midst of his despair. He placed his finger on the girl's wrist, feeling for a pulse. He found one, weak and thready but there the same. He smiled, and wiped away his tears. _'There's still hope after all...' _He got off the bed, setting Penny's cold body back down. When he got off, he turned around, kneeling slightly downward. He placed his hands under her body, then lifted up. Carrying Penny in his arms, he dashed outside, not caring who saw him. His heart raced a million miles an hour as he hurried through the streets. "Don't worry, Penny...we'll get help!" He made a sharp left turn, and the hospital lay right in front of him. He rested to get a few moments breather, and then ran off again. He busted through the white building's doors, and halted in front of the desk. He began to ring the bell several times, waiting very impatiently for someone to come over. _'Come on! Come on!' _Finally a doctor, Dr. Soner, answered the bell. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. Adjusting his own glasses, he went to see who it was. He looked down and was surprised to see a boy holding a girl. "How may I help you?" He said, knowing it was a very stupid thing to say. "Please, sir!" The boy cried in desperation. "Help her!" The man kneeled down to Rudy's level. He placed a hand on Penny's forehead. He then checked her pulse, and listened to her breathing, which caused his eyes to widen a little. He straightened up, Rudy watching him anxiously. 

"Dr. Lopez! Dr. John! Over here, now!" Two men, one black and one yellow, rushed over to Dr. Soner. "What is it, sir?" "Take this girl to the emergency room, now! Give her oxygen. One of her lungs has collapsed." 

Upon hearing this, Rudy's world seemed to fall apart._ 'A collapsed lung? Oh...no.....' _After Penny was taken from him to go to the emerncy room, he fell to his knees in agony. He covered his face with his hands and sobbed. "I-It was worse than I thought...." "Hey kid." The boy looked up. He saw Dr. Soner, looking at him sympathetically. "It's alright to be upset. But you don't need to worry." He placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and smiled slightly. "She may go through life with just one working lung, but other than that, she will make a full recover. Just needs some time to recooperate, and some medication. Understand?" The boy was smiling, but hiccuping from the crying and wiping away the tears he had shed before. "Alright, now go sit down in the Waiting Room. We'll inform you of when you may see your girlfriend." Rudy blushed upon hearing that word. But it was true....he did love Penny, but they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend just yet.... 

**_The perfect love_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_Oh yeah, yeah, yeah_**   
**_The perfect love_**

Rudy waited on a black chair for a couple of hours. He had fallen asleep about an hour and a half after sitting down. He hadn't gotten much sleep and all that running did deplete his energy. "Hey you." A voice said gently, shaking his shoulders. Moaning, he woke up, and rubbed his sleepy eyes. "W-what is it?" He groaned. He snapped his eyes open when he saw it was Dr. Sonez with a bright yet calm smile. "You may see the girl now." Rudy jolted upwards, and ran into the room where Penny was. She was awake now, but an oxygen mask covered her face. IV tubes were inserted into her arm, giving her liquid to keep her hydrated. She saw Rudy, and managed a small smile. "Hello, Penny. You feeling any better?" She nodded, her breathing much more controlled now. _'I'm sure they're gonna need to perform surgery on her to remove the collapsed lung...' _He moved in closer to her. "I-I...was just wondering, did you mean it, when you said that you loved me?" Penny's eyes widened. She nodded her head energetically, but stopped when she become slightly dizzy. She weakly placed her right hand on her head. Rudy then sat on the bed next to her. 

"I called my parents. I told them where I was...They encouraged me to stay with you." 

He smiled gently. He then grew extremely tired. _'Man....I must be sleepier than I thought.....' _Without thinking, he crawled into bed with the girl, pulling up the sheets over both him and her. He closed his eyes, and instantly fell asleep. Penny smiled at him, watching him sleep. _'He looks so cute...sleeping like a baby...' _She closed her own eyes, and fell asleep as well. 

About an hour later, Dr. John came in to take Penny into surgery. That collapsed lung would cause too much internal bleeding, and cause her to choke on her own blood. He opened the door, and was surprised at what he was seeing. He stared with widened eyes a few moments, then signaled to Dr. Lopez. "Hey, Lopez!" The other doctor walked up to him, a little angry because he was supposed to be working on DNA checking. "What is it?" "Look at that." He pointed into the room. Rudy and Penny were still asleep, huddled against eachother as they slept. "Now isn't that sweet?" Dr. Lopez nodded. He wasn't the romantic type of person, but he had to admit, this was cute and priceless. He then asked, "Shall I wake the boy?" Dr. John slowly shook his head. "No...let them sleep. They deserve it." He closed the doors, and the two men walked away. 

It only took a week, but Penny did make a full recover. Though she did have only one lung now, she still looked as healthy as ever. She wanted to go back into ChalkZone, though Rudy didn't know. "Come on Rudy." She said. "It's not like I'm going to collapse or anything!" She laughed. Rudy smiled slightly. "Well....alright.....if you insist...." He walked up to his chalkboard, and opened up a portal. They went through and saw that someone was waiting for them. There was no mistaking that blue boy, who was holding something in his hands. "Snap! How'd you..." "Let's just say I have my ways." He replied, then walked over to Penny. He scratched his head, not sure what to say. "Hey, Penny....Rudy told me what happened, and I...well...," he said nervously, "I know we don't get along too well, but I just wanted to....give you this..as a Welcome Back present." Penny thanked him as she took the present from his gloved hands. She unwrapped the present, and saw that it was a plaque. A metal one, at that. On it was some engravements. It read: 

**We people of ChalkZone hope that you, Penny, make**   
**A complete recovery. Hope to see you soon!******

**Signed******

**Chalk Dad**   
**Snap**   
**Rapsheeba**   
**Blocky**   
**Granny**   
**Polar**   
**Byclops**   
**And the other people of ChalkZone**   


Penny's eyes watered up a little. She gave Snap a tight hug. "Thank you!" Rudy smiled, then giggled as Snap looked like he was sufficating. "Can...you...please...let....me....go? I can't...breathe!" His face turned a little darker blue. "Oh! Sorry!" The black girl apologized, letting the drawing go. He shook his head, and placed his hand on his head. "That's alright, Penny." He said wearily. She helped him onto his feet. The two humans looked at eachother for a few seconds, then back at Snap, who was stifling a laugh. Rudy raised one of his eyebrows. "Hey, Snap...why are you laughing?" The drawing had to cover his mouth tightly to try and subdue the laughter. After he calmed down enough to talk, he choked out, "Because....I was just thinking...of what a cute...and very mental..picture I'm getting...of you two..." He walked closer, and whispered into their ears. He muttered a few small yet very informative words. Rudy's eyes snapped wide open in shock while Penny paled a little. _'How did he know about us loving eachother?!' _They both thought in unison. "WE'RE NOT DOING THAT NOW!!!" They yelled at the same time, startled Snap. Penny placed down the plaque, not wanting to ruin it, and looked at Snap through very angry eyes. "Snap....it's time that you and I...had a little talk...." Rudy did nothing as the drawing sweated in fear, backing away from the angry girl. "P-Penny...I-I was only kiddin'! Don't be mad at me...please...." 

"Oh...I'm not mad Snap....I'M FURIOUS!" She then broke off into a run, chasing Snap all across ChalkZone. Rudy watched the scene, and laughed. _'Somethings will never change....' _He thought. He decided to go to someplace else. Walking back to the same park that Penny had collapsed, he located the Penguin Toss. "Maybe I should try this again..." He got out a couple of dollars and gave it to the manager of the game. He played a few times, and hours passed. It became noon quite fast. As Rudy played, two figures are seen running in the background. It was Penny and Snap. She was still chasing him. The scene shifts back a little, revealing small hills and plains upon which the park was located. Suddenly, a lone cry cries out. 

"OH GOD HAVE MERCY ON ME!!!!!!" Snap's voice cried out.   
  


___________________________________   


So....what did you think? Yes, this is a one chapter story. Heh...it's a combo of Romance, Angst, and some Humor, but not much. I'm not a Humor-type girl, as you might tell. Yes, Snap did mention the....thing that adults do..Oo; Don't ask me how he found out....he just...knew. No, there won't be a sequel. How can I write a sequel to this? There's really no storyline at all, and no cliffhangers to continue...unless you count the fact that Snap's running for dear life from a very angry Penny. "Early Days" will be delayed longer than I thought as I try to come up with a suitable chapter for "The Abomination II: Dogs of Darkness". Sorry for this. ^^; 


End file.
